Vice President JD Vance Faces Sharp Catholic Criticism Over Recent Comments
Vice President JD Vance has been accused of selecting "MAGA over Jesus" in a strongly worded opinion piece published this week by the National Catholic Reporter. The Catholic newspaper's digital editor, John Grosso, delivered a pointed rebuke of Vance's response to recent tragic events involving federal agents in Minneapolis.
Condemnation of Vance's Response to Minneapolis Tragedies
Grosso specifically criticized Vance's inflammatory and politicizing reaction to the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by an ICE agent in Minneapolis over the weekend. According to the op-ed, Vance had a clear opportunity to demonstrate Christian leadership but instead opted for political divisiveness.
"Vance had the opportunity to call for peace and unity — to lower the temperature of the situation and express empathy with those suffering and mourning," Grosso wrote. "He could have chosen to share the Gospel message of healing and human dignity. Instead, he chose to offer the MAGA message of division and blame."
A Pattern of Controversial Commentary
This is not the first time Grosso has criticized the vice president's approach. Earlier this month, he published similar commentary following Vance's justification of the fatal shooting of mother Renee Good, also at the hands of a federal agent in Minneapolis.
In that previous piece, Grosso wrote: "As a Catholic, Vance knows better than to peddle this brand of gaslighting and agitation." The editor went further, condemning what he called Vance's "twisted and wrongheaded view of Christianity" and suggesting the vice president's "Catholicism seems to be little more than a political prop, a tool only for his career ambitions and desire for power."
Questions About Religious Authenticity
The criticism takes particular aim at Vance's religious identity as a Catholic convert. Grosso argues that Vance's comments represent "a moral stain on our collective witness of Catholicism" and that such behavior is "no longer surprising" from the vice president.
"Given its scandal, the vice president's cafeteria Catholicism must continue to be repudiated by people of faith," Grosso asserted in the op-ed, using the term "cafeteria Catholicism" to suggest selective adherence to religious principles.
The National Catholic Reporter's editorial represents a significant religious critique of a prominent political figure, highlighting tensions between political messaging and religious values in contemporary public discourse.
